1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to assemblies and clamps for mounting and/or suspending objects, and more specifically to mountable loudspeaker assemblies and clamps.
2. Description of the Related Art
The following descriptions and examples are not admitted to be prior art by virtue of their inclusion within this section.
Clamps used to mount and/or suspend objects are often specifically designed for the application in which they are used since different applications and environments present different needs and challenges. For example, clamps and assemblies used for mounting loudspeakers on wakeboard towers may be made of materials specifically designed for aquatic environments and have characteristics different than clamps used for mounting objects on or in a wall. In particular, some loudspeaker wakeboard tower clamps and assemblies are configured such that a loudspeaker may be rotated in its mounted position in order to quickly change its direction of sound propagation. In addition, some loudspeaker wakeboard tower clamps and clamp assemblies include electrical contacts for connecting audio signal and ground wires of the speaker to audio signal and ground wires provided in the tower such that the wires are not exposed. In some cases, loudspeaker wakeboard tower clamps and clamp assemblies may include a quick disconnect screw such that a loudspeaker may be removed quickly and easily.
Although any one or more of such features are generally desirable, current design configurations of loudspeaker wakeboard tower clamps and clamp assemblies implementing such features are limited in application and/or pose safety concerns. For instance, loudspeaker wakeboard tower clamps and clamp assemblies having only a quick disconnect screw to secure a loudspeaker in its mounted position put the loudspeaker at risk of falling when the screw is loosened or removed, potentially causing injury or damage. Furthermore, in order to provide rotation to a loudspeaker in its mounted position, electrical contacts in loudspeaker wakeboard tower clamps and clamp assemblies are often disposed on a single electrical jack. As a consequence, the amount of power which may be provided to a loudspeaker is limited in such configurations. Moreover, the high desirability for rotational capability in loudspeaker wakeboard tower clamps and clamp assemblies has generally impeded the incorporation of electrical contacts for light signal transmission in loudspeaker wakeboard tower clamps and clamp assemblies. A reason for such a lack of development is the challenge of preventing the multitude of wires associated with having both audio and light signal transmission from twisting in the loudspeaker and/or wakeboard tower in light of the rotational functionality. As a result, loudspeakers having audio and light capability generally have light signal transmission wires connected to them independent of the loudspeaker wakeboard tower clamps used to mount and/or suspend them.
Accordingly, it would be beneficial to develop clamps and clamp assemblies for mounting and/or suspending objects, particularly loudspeakers and more specifically, loudspeakers upon wakeboard towers, which provide a quick disconnect feature, but lessen the risk of an object falling relative to conventional clamps. In addition, it would be advantageous to develop clamps and clamp assemblies offering the capability for a loudspeaker to rotate but that are not as limited in the amount of power which may be supplied to the loudspeaker as compared to conventional clamps. Furthermore, it would be desirable to develop clamps and clamp assemblies which allow a loudspeaker to rotate but are further configured to connect audio signal, light signal and ground wires of a loudspeaker to respective wires provided in a mounting structure such that the wires are not exposed.